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when, a week later, he visited the
house in an- agony of shyness. "A
godmother, of whom I had never
known, has left us five thousand dol
lars! An old lady in Boston! She
had quarreled with mother at the
christening of Maudie, but she had
watched over us like a good fairy,
and she knew Maudie's lameness,
and and one condition is that she
has to be operated on at the Boston
hospital."
The girls thought little Joel even
less enthusiastic than usual.
"You never know," he said dismal
ly. "It may be just a fraud."
"But we've got the money in the
bank!" exclaimed both girls together.
A week later Joel went through a
causeless agony of fear until he was
called up from the Boston hospital, a
hundred miles away, and informed
that the operation had been a com
plete success. And a month later
Maudie-was home, her' foot in plaster,
but the pain gone and hope in her
eyes.
And two months after that she
was romping with the dog on the
lawn, as straight and active as any
of them. Joel crept back to his prize
cows.
It was astonishing how many be
quests were left to Fouracres people
during the next two years. It got so
that the newspapers began to notice
it There was old, half-paralyzed
Mr. Cooper, who had been afraid of
the poorhouse himself, and his aged
wife. They were left $5,000 too, by
a distant relative in New York, of
whose existence they had been igno
rant And Mrs. Patrick, the widow,
who had such a task trying to make
both ends meet, and was afraid she
would have to marry Old Man Green.
She was left $4,000 by a cousin in
Alabama, of whom she used to speak
vaguely and not affectionately. She
at once rejected Old Man Green. And
he, to mollify his disappointment, as
it were, received a legacy from a
nephew in Ireland, who had died in
testate, worth $2,000, and said hel
was glad now that he could afford,
to get a housekeeper, instead of hav-,
ing to think of getting married. ,
Then gifts began to flow in to the,
Cripples' Home and the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
and the Job Nimble Home for Incur
ables. In short, after five years Joel'
had only $50,000 of his capital left. '
And Maudie was growing up and
going to college. And Dolly had mar-,
ried the finest man in the world, a'
lawyer, who often came over to1
Joel's to sit and chat of an evening
and ask disconcerting questions.
Joel began to be afraid that folks
would find out the truth. But pres-'
ently the questions ceased and the
lawyer became still more kindly and
friendly.
How wonderful it was, at 30, to"
have done so much good to others,
instead of having spent one's money
on oneself. Joel began to forget the
heartache that he felt whenever he
saw Maudie back from college, al
ways with the same kind word for
JoeL He had really had more out of
fe than he deserved, even though
ne was sun tne duic oi tne young
folks.
But when Maudie came back for
good and went to live with Dolly and'
her husband, and their little boy, Joel
knew that nature was stronger than'
he was. He was shyer than ever
when he called, and at last he gave
up calling altogether. Only his law
yer, and perhaps Maudie, understood.
But what could they do? If Joel had
seen himself as others began to see
him now, when sorrow had dignified
him, and self-forgetfulness had
stamped itself on his insignificant
face. But Joel only knew that
he was desperately unhappy, and
that he must go away. He adver
tised his farm.
Then it was that the lawyer be
trayed the secret he had wormed out
of the little man.
For one morning a strange deputa
tion approached Joel's house. He
came to the door and stared in'
